Murder and Mythology
by paint my spirit gold
Summary: When a girl is found dead at Camp Half-Blood, the Romans are blamed. But Olivia Lancaster, a newly arrived demigod, knows they're innocent. Can she and her new friends prove it in time? And if the Romans aren't responsible, then who is? R&R. Rated T
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello. I originally published this story back in December, but I'm now republishing it. I hope you guys enjoy it, and please remember to review. Thanks! Also, please note that my beta has not yet looked this over, so excuse any errors.

**Murder and Mythology**

**By WordsxOfxWisdom**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HOO**

**Chapter 1: **

Sometimes, I wish I weren't a demigod. I wish I could forget about quests and prophecies and gods and monsters.

But you can't run from what you are. There's no escaping it because it will catch up with you eventually no matter what.

It comes down to this: you've got to accept what you are and make the best of it. Whether you like it or not, this is your life; live it.

My name is Olivia Lancaster. Olivia Caitlin Lancaster, to be exact. I'm fourteen years old, and I live in New York City with my dad, Ethan Lancaster.

My life has been…strange, to say the least. My mom left Dad and me when I was a baby, and I have ADHD and dyslexia. But honestly, I think that was the least of my problems. Things always happened to me that I really can't explain. When I was seven, I swear my art teacher melted into the shadows. And when I was about ten, I ran into a man in an alley who I'm pretty sure had only one eye…

See what I mean? Strange things I can't explain. Then again, I guess it's not so much the stuff you can't explain you should be afraid of; it's what you CAN explain. Because let me tell you, once you actually UNDERSTAND all that stuff, it gets a whole lot more dangerous.

**xXxXx**

The night before Memorial Day, Dad took me out to dinner at DeLuca's, an Italian restaurant in downtown Manhattan. I've always loved DeLuca's, being quite fond of Italian food. Unfortunately, it was a rather expensive restaurant, so I rarely got to go there. But with Dad, that was probably bad news.

We sat down at our table and ordered our food and drinks. A chicken parmesan and lemonade for me and seafood primavera and a glass of Merlot for Dad. Throughout the meal, Dad was mostly silent. Finally towards the end, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Oh," Dad said nonchalantly, scooting his completely empty plate to the side, "By the way, we'll be going over to Teresa's house on Monday."

I stared confused, as I set my fork down, "Teresa? Who's she? Someone from work?"

He chuckled, "No, Liv, Teresa Gardner, my girlfriend."

I practically choked on a spaghetti noodle, "Your WHAT?"

"My girlfriend," Dad said giving me an odd look.

I scowled, "No. You're…Dad. You're MY dad. You shouldn't be dating!" To be honest, I was furious. Dad, MY dad, Ethan Lancaster….a GIRLFRIEND? He wasn't exactly the romantic type…

Dad just fixed me with this sad look, "I know...But Sweetie, I think sometimes you get so wrapped up in your idea of me as your dad, you forget that I have a life and feelings too. Let's face it Hon, you're fourteen and you've never known what it's like to have a mom."

"Well then maybe I don't need to," I protested, "I mean, I've gone most of my life without one-"

Dad interrupted me, "No. Olivia, a girl needs a mom. Someone to talk to when she has problems."

"But I can talk to you," I pleaded, "Don't I already?"

He shook his head, "I know Olivia. We're a lot closer than most dads and daughters. But I think you need to know what it's like to have a mom in your life. Someone to paint your nails, to go shopping with, you know. Besides, I've got horrible fashion taste." He grinned at me and my gut twisted. That was Dad. He would go and make you hate him, then turn around and be the funniest, most charming guy ever. It was gonna kill me. But I could see why my mom, whoever she was, had fallen for him.

"Well what if I don't WANT a Mom!" I said sharply. I was so angry...so frustrated. Obviously there was a reason why my mom was, well, my mom, even if she left Dad and I. My mom, whoever she was, was the only mom I ever wanted. It made me so mad that she left but I'll admit that sometimes I imagined what she was like. I even made-up names for her. She always looked like me, having black hair and turqouise blue eyes. I often wondered if she really did look like me...

Dad sighed, "I understand how you feel, Olivia. But please, just give Teresa a chance, okay? You might like her." He reached across the table and began stroking my hand.

"For me, Liv?" he asked softly.

"Fine," I grumbled, picking at the remains of my meal, "Just don't expect me to like her."

**xXxXx**

Most of the time, on Monday mornings, it takes me at least twenty minutes to drag my butt out of bed and get ready for school. But that Monday, a day that I didn't actually have to catch the bus, I laid there for forty-five minutes before deciding I at least had to get up.

This by no means meant I was going to get dressed, leave the house or go see this 'Teresa' lady.

Unfortunately, Dad had other ideas.

As soon as I stepped out of my bedroom, he bombarded me. He looked nice, kind-of roguishly handsome, like an action movie hero. His chocolate brown hair was brushed neatly, and he wore a polo shirt and jeans.

But he wore a very un-Dad-like grin, like suddenly everything about his life was perfect.

"Come on Olivia, you got to get ready! Teresa lives about an hour away in a town called West Alexandria, so we'll need to leave in a little while….Isn't this great? I know you're going to love her kids!"

My gut twisted. Kids, "Dad…She has kids? How many?"

He grinned, "Six. Four girls, two boys."

With that, all my hopes and dreams of actually liking Teresa Gardner disappeared.

**xXxXx**

Spending an hour in the car with one of the people you would LEAST like to be with can traumatize you.

In this case, though, the trauma of spending an hour sitting in the car, listening to my iPod and pretending to be excited about meeting Teresa and the Kids (as I now thought of them) was nothing compared to what I endured after we arrived at the Gardner house.

First off, the house itself was enough to make me gag. It was perfect. A huge whitewash mansion with a beautifully polished cobblestone driveway that had a gorgeous fountain bubbling in the center and was lined with neatly pruned trees. It had a beautiful garden growing in the front; roses, tulips and all other kinds of flowers in full bloom, a mixture of vibrant beautiful pinks, purples and yellows. A nice wooded area stood at the back of the house.

Dad and I walked up to the door, a large heavy oak one with a fancy doorknob, and it flew open. A woman stepped out onto the little stone porch and grinned at us. Picture Sarah Jessica Parker's face on Betty Boop's body and that was what she looked like. Her hair was a bit darker, her skin a bit lighter, but she had the same look. She wore a plain white shirt that fit her in all the right places, low-rise jeans that hugged her hips and a pair of nice black leather sandals. Her nails were all painted wild colors, and I could see her toes peeping out from under her bellbottom jeans; she was wearing toe rings.

The lady threw her arms around Dad and gave him a big hug. It was the same 'hey, how's it going, how 'ya been?' stuff as always, but soon it was a make-out fest. I shifted uncomfortably as I realized the woman was Teresa. She didn't look like a mom, much less MY mom. And I was determined not to like her, no matter what.

"Ahem," I said, clearing my throat.

Dad and Teresa fell out of their lip lock and turned to face at me.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there, Hon," Teresa said, smiling at me.

"Teresa," Dad beamed, "This is my daughter, Olivia. Liv, this is Teresa Gardner, my girlfriend."

She grinned, "Call me Teresa, please. Mrs. Gardner is my ex-husband's mother."

"Okay," I muttered, "Teresa."

She giggled, yes, giggled, and Dad and she walked inside, leaving me standing awkwardly on the porch. I groaned and followed them grudgingly.

Inside, the house was just as impeccable. The carpet was nice and clean; a pristine white. Nothing even looked remotely touched by the hands of someone under forty years. The elegant decorations were all perfectly in place, and there was no 'junk' in sight.

And this lady had SIX kids?

"I'm sure Olivia will love the kids," Teresa chirped as she, Dad and I walked to the backyard.

Dad grinned, "Oh definitely. You'll love them, Olivia, don't be worried at all."

"Yeah," I muttered, following them onto a huge patio in the back. It had a beautiful tile pattern done on the concrete and even a swimming pool. There was nice black wood patio furniture on it too.

Six kids sat at the picnic table, which had a bowl of chips and a smaller bowl of salsa. The oldest kid was a girl who looked to be about sixteen, and the youngest were VERY identical twins who looked about six or so.

"These are my children," Teresa said, grinning at me.

She nodded to the oldest girl, the one who seemed about sixteen, "This is my eldest daughter Thyme." Thyme nodded to me and we greeted each other. She seemed a very maternal person, probably since she was the oldest, which made sense.

Next, she gestured to the second child, a boy my age with curly brown hair and green eyes, "My next child, my oldest son Forrest." Forrest smirked at me and I instantly knew we wouldn't get along. He looked like the kind-of person who would put shaving cream up your nose while you slept.

Teresa then nodded to the next two children, a black haired and green eyed boy and girl, "My older twins, Dmitri and Rose." They both smiled at me but said nothing; the two looked about nine or so, maybe older, maybe younger.

Lastly Teresa indicated the super identical twins with brown hair and eyes, who immediately bounded up and clamored around her.

"And my two youngest girls and second set of twins, Lilly and Laurel," Teresa said in between laughs.

The twins looked up at me then giggled at each other. They were adorable, but something about them screamed mischief.

"Hey," I muttered.

The oldest girl, Thyme, grinned at me, "Hi!"

"Ethan!" one of the little twin girls squealed, running up to Dad and hugging him.

Dad chuckled and hugged her back, "Hey there Lil! Sorry you had to miss me!" I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. The girls looked almost exactly the same, and they wore the same clothes too. How in the world could he tell them apart?

"Ethan!" the other little twin girl-Laurel, I assumed-squealed, "I want a turn!"

"Oh, come here Laurel, you can have a turn too!" Dad said, scooping her up too.

Teresa turned to me and smiled, "Maybe you and Thyme could take the twins on a walk in the woods later, after we eat."

I nodded, a bit dazed by all that was going on around me, "Yeah, sure."

"Teresa," Dad said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek, "Makes a mean guacamole."

"Oh Ethan," Teresa gushed, "My guacamole isn't that good…"

Dad pulled Teresa closer and they fell into a deep kiss. Lilly and Laurel slid out of Dad's arms and raced around the backyard. I practically gagged in my mouth. I'd only been there for a half-hour, but I was sick-SICK-of the Gardners. How could they just act like this whole thing was no big deal when everything had changed?

My eyes began to well with tears as I walked off into the little woods.

**A/N: **Well, I hope you enjoyed it! I'm already working on the second chapter so look for that to be coming soon! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **All right, well, here's the second chapter for M&M. I hope you guys like it! Also, if you DO like it, please review! This story got twenty-five hits last ccchapter; so technically it could've gotten twenty-three more reviews…Grrrhhhh, you people are so lucky I'm updating! Oh, and a big THANK-YOU to the two people who did review!

**Murder and Mythology **

**By WordsxOfxWisdom**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HOO**

**Chapter 2:**

I eventually decided to stop crying and dry my tears. I ran through the forest, since physical activity has always made me feel better. Sure enough, it worked this time. I felt ready to face whatever Teresa, Dad and the Kids would throw at me.

I walked quickly through the woods on the way back; I wasn't quite sure why, but something didn't feel right. Almost like someone was watching me or something….

My eyes nervously darted around. There was nobody else in the woods; I was completely alone. So why-

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when I heard a low, deep growl coming from behind a nearby tree. My heart pounded-what was going on?

"W-Who's there?" I sputtered, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. The growl emitted from the bushes again and I heard myself make a noise between choke and a sob. Whatever was in there certainly didn't sound friendly…

I glanced around, looking for something I could use as a weapon. I finally just decided to use a stick that I'd snapped off of a nearby tree. When I looked back at the tree where the growl had some from, I couldn't help but stare, because a pair of smoldering red eyes glared back at me. So naturally, I just had to go and do something stupid…

"Come and get me!" I shouted, waving the stick around and sounding much more confident than I felt.

Big mistake.

Because whatever those red eyes belonged to certainly 'came and got me'. The next thing I knew, I was racing through the woods, a huge, shadowy black dog, easily the size of a small car, on my heels. Now, I'm a pretty good runner; fast and strong, with a long endurance. But this…thing, dog, whatever, had me out of breathe. My knees started to buckle and…Blam! I tripped over a stupid tree root with that sinister…dog-thing catching up with me.

It let out a roar that was loud as an artillery gun. I scrambled to get up, but my legs kept getting caught in some nearby vines. My heart was racing so fast I seriously thought it would explode!

"Dad!" I screamed, "Dad! Help!"

The dog began prowling around me in a circle, like a vulture circling its prey. I finally managed to get my leg free, and then began sprinting towards the edge of the forest. The dog let out another loud bark and bounded after me. The whole time I could hear it just behind me, panting heavily. That was probably a good sign, since this thing was finally getting tired of chasing me. But I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to keep things up…

This is it, I thought bluntly, I'm gonna die…

Suddenly, I burst out of the woods and saw Dad tearing towards me, his eyes wide with fear. I don't know what he saw, but whatever it was scared him a lot. I was relieved though that, for some reason, the dog didn't follow me out of the forest. I rushed across the Gardner's yard and threw my arms around Dad.

"Oh my god….I forgot my meds….Oh god, my ADHD is, like, going haywire…I seriously am going crazy, WHAT the hell just happened?" I muttered incoherent things between raspy breathes as Dad held me and stroked my hair.

"Ssh, its okay, Liv," Dad murmured, "Oh Sweetie, everything's gonna be okay…Now, Honey, we're going to go inside, 'kay?"

I gave a small, whimpering, nod and Dad and I walked inside. As soon as we stepped in, the entire Gardner family bombarded me.

"Oh, oh, you poor sweetheart!" Teresa gushed, patting my cheek. I shrank back a little bit and gave her an irritated look. Why did adults always do things like that? I mean, it's not like kids liked it when they did…

"I can't believe a stray dog was chasing you," Thyme said, stepping forward and putting a hand on my shoulder, as though she were her mom's age and not just a couple years older than me.

"What kind-of dog was it?" Forrest asked, giving me an odd look. I was sure I looked like a huge freak to the Gardners now, getting chased by a 'stray dog' (it was anything but).

I shook my head, "I-I don't know…"

"Puppy!" Lilly and Laurel shrieked going over to the window and peering out.

Dad turned to Teresa, "Titi, listen, I think it would be best if Olivia and I went home. I know we haven't even gotten to eat dinner, but…" Titi? Where did he get THAT?

"Its fine, Baby," Teresa assured him, nodding, "I understand. Olivia is probably a bit shocked right now." I glared at her. I almost wished Teresa had made a big deal out of Dad and me leaving. Then he could have a permissible reason to break-up with her. But I was actually GLAD to be leaving.

**xXxXx**

During the drive home, I kept thinking about what had happened to me. Just what WAS that thing that had been chasing me? It obviously wasn't some random stray dog, like the Gardners seemed to think…But if it wasn't that, then what was it? I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had this strange feeling that what happened had something to do with my mom. I wasn't sure how Dad would react to me asking if Mom had anything to do with it…But it was worth a try.

I cleared my throat as Dad pulled onto the highway, "Dad…Um, I was just wondering…Like, does Mom have anything to do with what happened at the Gardner's house?"

In the driver's seat, Dad noticeably tensed, "Well, uh, see Olivia, I'm sure it was just your imagination. I don't think you should worry about it, really."

I scowled. Dad may be many things, but he is definitely not a good liar.

"Oh come on Dad!" I pleaded, "You're hiding something, and I know it. You can trust me; I thought we weren't allowed to keep secrets from each other."

"I know," Dad said, sighing deeply, "But Olivia, this is something I can't really explain. Your mom was an amazing woman, Liv, but there were so many things about her I didn't understand."

"I don't get it," I snapped, "What couldn't you get about her?"

"…She wanted you to go…" I heard him mumble under his breath, "….to a camp….a dangerous place…couldn't let you leave..."

I figured I wasn't supposed to have heard that, so I politely pretended I didn't. But it confused me more than anything. Mom hadn't even bothered to stick around for my first birthday, yet she'd picked out a summer camp for me? And a dangerous one, as it would be. So naturally, Dad didn't want me to go.

"Dad," I said, repeating the question, "What couldn't you get about Mom?"

Dad kept his gaze fixated ahead on the road, "It's nothing, Olivia. You shouldn't be too worried, but I wouldn't go outside much if I were you. That's all."

I grunted in acknowledgement but didn't say anything for the rest of the ride. That definitely wasn't all Dad had to say, although if he wasn't gonna tell me, then there was nothing I could do to convince him to talk.

**xXxXx**

The next day, I went back to school. Since the previous day had been Memorial Day Monday, the school week started on a Tuesday, which meant it was only four days instead of five. So that was nice. But still, it was the very last week of school and I was antsy for summer to arrive.

This was especially true as I sat in sixth period Science with Mr. Cortina. Mr. C was a tall, skinny man with oily black hair and pale skin. His dark beady eyes always seemed to be lingering on me, like he was angry or something. Which Mr. Cortina usually was, since he seemed to hate me for no reason whatsoever.

"Now, children," Mr. Cortina said coolly, striding into the room with his head held high, "Settle down. I would like you all to pass up your homework from Friday, please."

My gut twisted. Oh crap, I'd forgotten all about my homework! It really was unfair that Mr. C had given us homework over Memorial Day weekend, but the man WAS pure evil.

"_Skata_," I muttered under my breath. I frowned then, confused by my words; what did _skata_ mean? It was obviously another language, but aside from my French class on Saturday mornings (which was more for fun than actually learning the language), I wasn't bilingual...

I glanced up and noticed Mr. Cortina looking straight at me, which oddly seemed to happen a lot. And…I could've sworn he was…licking his chops. A shudder passed down my spine. God, things were just getting too weird.

"Miss Lancaster," Mr. Cortina said in that icy way of his, "If you would please join me at my desk…"

I gulped, slowly got out of my desk and walked up to his.

"Y-Yes, Mr. C?" I stammered.

Mr. Cortina glared at me, "You don't have your homework today, do you?"

I shook my head, "No…I don't, but-"

"But nothing! Excuses, excuses, excuses! Sixty minute detention to be served after school!" Mr. Cortina pulled out a pink detention slip and quickly filled it out. I grimaced as I watched him. Admittedly, my grades weren't impressive, but I wasn't exactly a bad kid or a troublemaker….What would Dad think?

"M-May I call my dad to let him know I'll be staying after school?" I asked sheepishly.

Mr. Cortina rolled his eyes and smirked, as if he knew something I didn't, "Sure, just don't take long."

I walked over to the phone sitting on the edge of Mr. C's desk and quickly dialed my dad's number. I wasn't sure if he would pick up or not, but surprisingly he did.

"Hello, this is Ethan Lancaster," he answered.

"Hi Dad," I replied, "Hey…um…I have to serve a detention after school, so…"

Dad snorted, "A detention? What for Sweetie?"

"Forgot my science homework," I mumbled, feeling dumber than ever.

I heard Dad sigh.

"Well, personally I'm surprised your Science teacher had the nerve to give you guys homework on Memorial Day weekend, what with this being your last week of school and all. I'll pick you up at 3:30 Hon, 'kay?"

"'Kay. Bye Dad, love 'ya," I said, then hung up.

**xXxXx**

After school let out at 2:30, I went immediately to the cafeteria, which is where all detentions were served. I was actually a bit surprised to see four other kids had detentions too. A couple other eighth graders, a sixth grader and a seventh grader, to be exact.

I knew the eighth graders somewhat well. Seth Porter was in my P.E. and Health class. He was arguably one of the biggest kids in our grade, being about 5"7 and rather stocky. Not fat, just…big. Seth had pale ashy blond hair, fair skin and icy blue eyes. I'd always found his appearance rather interesting, since his hair is so light and his eyes are so blue. I didn't quite know much about his family, but apparently, his mom was some model who became anorexic. The other eighth grader was Autumn Li, who was in my Reading class. She was a tiny Asian girl with dark hair and eyes. Someone in her family must've owned Li's Lilies, a flower shop a few blocks from our school, because I often saw her walking there after school. I assumed Autumn was big into environmental things, since that seemed to be the case with her whole family.

According to Seth, the seventh grader was Neil Reed, a tall, lanky boy with pinkish freckled skin, spiky reddish-blond hair and emerald green eyes that shone with mischief. His features were slightly Elvin and he had this look to him like he would steal your wallet at any time. Which seemed appropriate, as I often saw Neil in the cafeteria after school, so I figured he got in trouble a lot. I guess he probably deserved his detention for doing something stupid.

Kaleigh Valentine was the name of the sixth grader…..And let's just say she had a bit of a reputation. Gossip about that girl flew faster than spitballs at our school. She had a new boyfriend every week, or something like that…It might've had something to do with her physical appearance, though. Kaleigh WAS extremely beautiful, with clean blond hair, flawless tanned skin and sparkling blue eyes. Her apparent fondness for makeup and designer clothing were probably why she was in detention though. At the moment, Kaleigh wore a white denim mini skirt on this side of appropriate and a lacey pink spaghetti strap tank top.

Mr. Cortina sauntered into the cafeteria at exactly 2:30, a smug grin on his face. He surveyed us then, again, licked his chops. I winced. The guy crept me out on an ordinary day, but today he just flat out scared me.

Suddenly, just as Mr. C was about to take his seat, another girl flew in. Neil jumped up and waved to her, so I figured she was a seventh grader. She had chestnut brown hair the color of bark on a tree and leaf green eyes. For a brief second, her skin seemed almost green. The first thing that passed my mind was that she obviously wasn't in detention. But sure enough, she jogged right on up to Mr. Cortina.

"My name's May Evergreen," the girl said, giving him a smile, "Sorry I'm late, sir."

Mr. C glanced up and sneered, "Of course, GIRL, take your seat."

May gave him a quick nod, then rushed and took a seat across from me. She mouthed 'hi' and I smiled and nodded.

In the front of the room, Mr. Cortina cleared his throat, so that we all looked at him. Kaleigh put her phone away, Autumn slid her piece of sketch paper into her binder, Neil put whatever he'd been holding away and Seth even took his headphones off.

Then, something really freaky happened. Mr. Cortina's whole body began to change into that of a lion. His face became oddly distorted, but it still retained its basic features. The result made me shudder in fear.

"Its snack time, half-bloods," he snarled, licking his chops for a third time.

**A/N: **Okay, well, there you have it! Another chapter down! Hope you guys liked it, and please remember to REVIEW! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **First off, I hope you all had a good Easter, even though it's been a couple weeks. Second, thanks so much to the three people who reviewed the last chapter; it means a lot to me! Lastly, I would like to explain a bit about my updating schedule. I will hopefully update about every week or so. Maybe less if the mood to write strikes me. But lately I've been pretty busy, so expect an update within a few weeks or so (if everything goes well, it should be less). I know that's a long time but please bear with me. I can assure you I will update when I can. Now, without further ado, here is the third chapter of Murder and Mythology! Enjoy, and please remember to review!

**Murder and Mythology**

**By WordsxOfxWisdom**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HOO**

**Chapter 3: **

The thing that had been Mr. Cortina, my Science teacher, lunged towards us. I noticed that he didn't have the tail of a regular lion. His was full metal, and at the end, there was a ball covered in spikes. I briefly remembered when we studied mythology in Reading, how there was a monster from the Greek myths that was called a manticore. It was a lion with a man's face and a ball of spikes at the end of its tail. Cortina…Manticore…

"I've contained my hunger so long!" he roared.

We all stood there, too shocked and scared to run. May reached into her pocket and slowly pulled something out, carefully so that Mr. C wouldn't see it. I glanced at her and she winked.

"W-Why are you hungry?" Kaleigh stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

Mr. C sneered, "Stupid little demigoddess. You're terribly sweet, though. Perhaps I'll save you for desert."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure none of us taste too good, last time I checked…" Neil said sarcastically, shrugging.

"Oh," Mr. C scowled, "A funny one, eh? Well, the last time I checked, half-blood was my favorite meal." He emphasized the 'I', probably in response to Neil's comment.

"Really?" Neil said, smirking and raising an eyebrow in mock-curiosity, "My favorite meal is-"

"SILENCE!" Mr. C snapped, "I will have NO MORE of this ridiculous stalling!"

"RUN!" May screamed. Suddenly she held the thing she'd gotten out earlier up; a flask that appeared to be filled with a swirling green liquid. May flicked the cork on the top off with her thumb and then threw it. I wasn't quite sure what happened after that, but judging from the warmth of the flames and the bright orange glow that then illuminated the hallways of our school, I figured our cafeteria was on fire. Somehow, we were all running through the same hallways I'd walked that day at school with my two best friends, Mia and Natalie. I couldn't help but think of how this would change everything. It was worse than when our other friend, Alyssa, started leaving Memorial Day weekend every year to go to some summer camp. I wondered what would happen now, if I would ever see any of them again.

"HEAD FOR THE FRONT DOOR!" May shouted.

We all rushed over the front door of our school and burst out onto the bustling Manhattan sidewalk. A crowd of people had crowded around, and someone was yelling '9-1-1! 9-1-1!' However, other than that, nobody was saying anything. They all just seemed to be staring, bewildered by the sight of five teens bursting out a burning building. Someone had their cellphone out and was actually calling 9-1-1. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my own phone-miraculously, it seemed to be working finely.

"May," I said, walking over to her, "Would it be okay if I called my dad? He could, like, pick me up or whatever."

May shook her head, "No. Definitely not. Now that the monsters have found you guys its too dangerous for any of you to use your phones or any other electronic devices."

She waved her hands in an odd gesture, and then the suspicious whispers among the crowds gathered suddenly stopped. The people glanced around at each other, confused. I don't even know how she did, but somehow they all just started walking away, as if they forgot they had even stopped in the first place. We were standing around talking, though, all of us confused by what had happened.

"Someone in the crowd already called the fire department. They're on their way. And I've contacted reinforcements, so they should be here soon," May added after the last bystander had left.

I stared at May for a second. This whole thing was getting making me so mad. Why couldn't she just give us answers, not just more questions?

I found myself shouting, "Can you please just explain what happened? And why can't I use my phone?" Autumn, Neil, Seth and Kaleigh began listening with new interest, having apparently heard me raising my voice at May.

"Is everything okay…" Autumn questioned hesitantly. She had a worried look on her face that had been there since detention; I had to wonder if it was permanent.

"Yes," May said coolly, "Look, Olivia, I would love to explain everything, but frankly some of it confuses even ME. When the reinforcements get here from Camp, THEY'LL tell you everything."

"Really?" Seth grunted, "Well, that doesn't change the fact that we basically just committed arson, not to mention killed a teacher. The fire department is going to have to find someone to blame for this, and chances are they won't believe us if we tell them we didn't do it. I mean, for God's sake, we all had detentions. According to them, one of us could've just decided to blow the top off the cafeteria because of that!"

May just stared at him for a minute. Seth had been mostly silent up to that point, so I guess his explosive temper surprised her a bit. It definitely surprised me.

Kaleigh rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly, "We didn't commit arson, Seth; May did. She threw the explosive-thing or whatever."

For a second, the other four of us just stared at Kaleigh. It was a no-duh moment, straight out of a movie or something.

I winced a little, "Um…yeah, Captain Obvious strikes again. Look, Kaleigh, there's nothing to prove that May threw the flask. It was probably destroyed in the blast. Anyways, she basically saved your life; why would you want her to end-up in jail?"

Kaleigh shrugged and muttered something about her newest romance novel being incinerated.

I glanced at May again, "Well, when are these 'reinforcements' getting here? And where exactly ARE we going?"

"You're going to Camp, of course," May said, as if it were perfectly obvious, "All of your parents already know. I've had contact with them for some time now."

Autumn pursed her lips, "So…wait, our parents already know you?"

May nodded, "Yeah. Like I said, everything will be explained to you eventually."

"Well, 'eventually' better come soon," Neil grumbled, sitting on the sidewalk.

May gave him a small smile, "I feel your pain. It can be hard, finding this all out. But you just have to be patient. Answers will come in time. Now, we should probably move to an alley to wait for the reinforcements."

Suddenly, we heard the wail of police sirens in the distance.

"Quickly!" Autumn said, gesturing to a nearby alley.

**xXxXx**

The five of us sat there in the alley, waiting, for about ten minutes. For Neil, Autumn, Kaleigh, Seth and I, it was a very uneasy ten minutes. None of us knew what would happen, or what was going on. Everything was so mysterious…Personally, I wasn't sure any of what May said could be trusted.

"Do you think she's trying to kidnap us or something?" I whispered to Autumn. The Asian girl immediately panicked.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered back, "What if she is? Maybe we should leave…"

"We're not leaving," Seth hissed, "Even if she committed arson to do it, May saved our lives. I trust her. Besides, she's our age. What would a seventh grade girl want with us?"

"Saving a life," Kaleigh sighed wistfully, "So romantic…"

Neil snickered, "Oh, I can think of a lot of things a girl would want with me…"

"Shut up," Autumn snapped at Neil, softly so she wouldn't be heard, "Nobody wants to know your perverted middle school guy thoughts."

Neil just laughed some more, and I couldn't help but laugh myself. I had to admit, though, that the whole thing was ridiculous. But it felt nice, laughing. Kind-of defused the tension a little.

"The reinforcements are here!" May exclaimed suddenly, springing up and gesturing to something in the sky that glinted gold in the sunlight.

The rest of us just exchanged glances. What was that…thing, in the sky? Who exactly was coming to get us?

"It looks unsafe," Seth noted gravely, "Whatever it is."

"It's a chariot," May said, "A flying chariot, I might add."

Autumn winced, "A flying chariot? Oh my gosh…what if we fall off? What if it-"

"Who cares!" Neil said, rolling his eyes, "We're gonna get the ride of a lifetime!"

May smiled weakly, "Yeah, I wish I could join you guys. Riding in those things has always been fun. But I've got to go take care of a few…things." She indicated the firefighters at the school, and the small crowd they'd attracted. It had never occurred to me before that someone would have to talk with them, explain what happened. Well, as much as May would reveal, anyways. Obviously none of us wanted the whole world (or at least Manhattan) knowing we'd intentionally set a school cafeteria on fire.

A few minutes later, the chariot touched down in the alley. The five of us rushed up and gathered around us. May seemed excited, rushing up and greeting the two 'drivers' in the chariot-a boy and a girl, both dark-haired.

"Jacob…Alyssa…Oh my gods, I'm so relived you're finally here! I managed to destroy the manticore but not after-" May was talking a million miles an hour, her voice growing higher the faster she talked.

I groaned internally. Great, just when I was starting to have a good idea of what was going on, May had to go mention something that threw me through another loop.

The boy-Jacob, I assumed-stepped off the chariot and took off his helmet, which was ancient Greek style. He was a good-looking Hispanic guy about our age, with spiky black hair, cinnamon-colored skin and chocolate brown eyes. In one hand he held a bow and a quiver with arrows with slung over his shoulder.

"Hey," Jacob said with a laugh, interrupting May in mid-sentence, "May, calm down! I know this is your first assignment, but dude, just cool down! Look, Alyssa and I will take the new half-bloods back to Camp and you just explain 'what happened' to the mortals."

May nodded briskly, "I-I was going too…"

Jacob flashed her a smile, "Well then what are you waiting for! Go! They want answers!"

"Hold it right there," the girl said, getting off the chariot and taking her helmet off, "Shouldn't we leave first, Jake?"

**A/N: **So, what did you think? Tell me! Review! Also, you can start guessing at godly parents too. I'll tell you that May is not a demigod, while Neil, Kaleigh, Olivia, Seth and Autumn all are. I'm sorry if the chapter seemed a bit short. I just wanted to get this one posted, since I might not be able to update for a while. Excuse any errors too, please, and tell me if there are any, since my beta hasn't looked this over yet. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for Chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **So, here's Chapter 4. I hope you guys like it; it's a bit shorter than previous ones, and I apologize for that, but I'm impressed that I've had time to write THIS, let alone a six-page chapter! Now, as always, please remember to review and enjoy!

**Murder and Mythology**

**By WordsxOfxWisdom**

**Chapter 4:**

The girl took her helmet off and I gasped.

"A-Alyssa?"

Gazing back at me was a girl, tiny, pale and freckled. She had curly, un-brushed black hair pulled back into a ponytail and stormy gray eyes that flashed with intelligence. I found it interesting how we looked alike, just slightly. We both had curly black hair and intense eyes, although mine were turquoise blue, not gray.

"Hey, Olivia," Alyssa greeted me, glancing down at her feet, "Um…So, I guess the first thing I should say, is that I'm sorry I could never mention more to you. This camp isn't, like…well, it's not your average summer camp. Let's leave it at that."

Seth frowned, "Wait, wait. Alyssa? As in Alyssa Cole? And how is this not an 'average summer camp'?"

Kaleigh nodded, "Alyssa Cole. I think I know her. She's dating a guy named-"

"Jake," Jacob said, rolling his eyes, "His name is Jake Garcia. That's me."

Alyssa laughed and put her arm around Jacob, "True."

Autumn smiled, "Oh! It's so good to see you Alyssa! We had the same History class last year, I think…"

"Umm, yeah," May interrupted, "Listen guys, you really need to get going, 'kay?"

"We should," Jake agreed, "Camp's not that far away, though."

"Well, then, let's go," I said, rolling my eyes.

**xXxXx**

On the chariot, Jacob and Alyssa explained everything to us; confirming things I had suspected...But earnestly hoped were not true. I have to admit, the ride was slightly (okay, incredibly) nerve-wracking for me, due to my fear of heights; and we were miles above the Manhattan skyline, flying towards Long Island. Thankfully, the conversation distracted me a bit, allowing me to focus on what people were saying rather than the fact we were higher than the Empire State Building.

"See, Greek mythology actually exists," Jacob explained, "The gods, heroes and monsters, of the myths are all real. I've been in your shoes and, trust me, this might seem hard to believe, but you'll get it eventually." 

"But…How is that possible?" I asked, frowning, "The Greek gods-I mean, even if they were real, how is it possible that they, like, are in America or whatever?"

"It's Western civilization," answered Alyssa, "See, that's, like, the way of life in the West. It started in ancient Greece, and now the heart of Western civilization is the United States. Mt. Olympus itself resides over the Empire State Building in New York."

"Western civilization?" Kaleigh wrinkled her nose, "What do you mean? How can the gods be real? Besides…like, I don't know, but it just doesn't make any sense."

Alyssa sighed, "Yeah. I was reluctant to believe it at first too."

"And what does this all have to do with us?" Seth asked, "I remember reading about things; listen, we're not…um, demigods, are we?"

There was nothing but silence from Jake and Alyssa.

"I knew it!" Autumn exclaimed, "I knew it! Oh god…s, what if something happens and…we all…die?" Her eyes frantically darted around, as if looking for the nearest threat.

Neil rolled his eyes, "Of course we'll all die someday Autumn. Dude, don't be stupid."

"Yeah, and right now, that 'someday' might be very close for a certain ginger…" I grumbled in reply.

Autumn whined, "Ugh, why am I the only one who worries about things? You know, a little concern from you guys is really appreciated sometimes. Can we all just stop-"

"Ohmigosh," Kaleigh shouted suddenly, "Look…there are two…. things, forming in the clouds!"

The rest of us craned our necks and I could see the thing Kaleigh had noticed; the vague shapes of two horses, forming in the clouds. They were a good fifteen feet higher than the chariot, though, which I guessed was probably a good thing.

"W-What's that?" Autumn said, a sense of urgency in her voice.

Alyssa pursed her lips, "I think it might be _anemoi thuellai_; let's just hope I'm wrong. Jake-"

"Want me to steer away from them?" Jake said, tightening his grip on the reins.

"No use," Alyssa said, shaking her head, "They could just as easily form elsewhere. All right everyone, grab onto the chariot and hold on tight!"

"Hey, uh, what exactly are _anemoi thuellai_?" Seth asked cautiously, as if he were afraid of the answer.

"Storm spirits," Alyssa said without looking at Seth, "But I've never seen them in these parts before…They often have trouble forming over cities and forests."

Jake shrugged, but he looked worried, "It's…probably nothing, Alyssa. The forecast today did call for afternoon thunderstorms."

"Yes," she replied, "But a regular thunderstorm would not have _anemoi thuellai_ this chaotic."

Suddenly, the horses began advancing towards us. They galloped in a circle, and a small funnel began forming in-between them. I almost wanted to laugh; the funnel certainly didn't look like anything impressive, and I doubted it would do much damage. This was ALL Jacob and Alyssa had been concerned about? I thought.

Then, the horses sprinted directly over the chariot. They galloped faster and faster in their circle, and the funnel grew taller. The wind was distinctly louder now, and I had a hard time hearing Alyssa shout to Jacob.

"Try veering to the left!"

"Can't!" Jacob shouted back, "The wind's too strong!" The wind was now coming at us from all directions, which I no doubt attributed to the…anemoi thuellai or whatever you call them.

Alyssa gritted her teeth and I could just see the gears of her mind churning. She wanted badly to be able to formulate some brilliant plan that would get us out of this mess, but it wasn't happening. I always felt sorry for her in times like this. Pride had always been one of Alyssa's most flagrant flaws.

"It'll be okay," I assured her, raising my voice so that I would be heard over the howling wind, "We can still get to this Camp place, right?"

She shook her head, "We're five miles above Long Island Sound. Camp is about five miles down and four miles across the Sound. We'll never make it."

Just then, a chorus of shrieks rose from the back of the chariot; Alyssa and I looked up to see that the funnel cloud was coming right at the chariot!

"Jake! Try to move!" Alyssa shrieked.

Jacob yelled back, "I can't! The chariot won't move!" The pegasi whinnied frantically, thrashing around. Apparently, the harnesses weren't very strong, because in a matter of moments, the pegasi had broken free and were diving towards the ground, desperate to get away from the storm spirits.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," Autumn shouted.

The funnel cloud made contact just then, tossing and turning the chariot like it was nothing. I vowed to myself I wouldn't scream, but that quickly went out the door. I was so dizzy, I honestly felt like I was going to hurtle.

Then, I quite literally fell out of the sky, screaming and bracing myself for the impact of hitting the Sound.

**A/N: **There you have it! I hope you guys enjoyed it, even if it was a tad short. I wanted to leave you hanging, I guess…And hey, there's a pretty little button down there that says 'Review'; why don't you try clicking on it, please?


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